Nadhira Ahmed Al Harthy became the first Omani woman to climb Mount Everest on May 23, 2019. On her first sit down interview, Al Harthy spoke to Times of Oman regarding her journey to the world’s highest point. “I found myself in the mountains. We would climb during night as the ice is softer during the day.

“On our final push to the top we began climbing at 9am, non-stop until 7pm.”

According to reports, this year has been the deadliest for climbers of Mt Everest since 2012, “There were times where I had to step over dead bodies, or I would climb and see dead bodies hanging. One of the reasons that many people died was because of the long queues and lack of oxygen,” said Al Harthy.

There are specific seasons during the year, in which climbers have the chance to climb Everest. One of the options is winter while the other starts at the end of March until the end of May.
“It takes two months to climb Everest, I started on April 1 and I arrived back in Oman on May 28. The reason it takes so long is because of the procedures put in place in Nepal. More importantly, you need to give your body time for it to adjust to the altitude, oxygen level and pressure.”

Al Harthy was joined by a team which included three other Arab climbers, a Saudi woman, two Lebanese women, and documentary filmmaker Elia Saikaly.

On May 23, 2010, Khalid Al Siyabi became the first Omani man to climb Mount Everest, and on the same day nine years later his prodigy Nadhirah Al Harthy became the first Omani woman and the second Omani to reach the top.

Greatness runs in the blood
During the same week, Al Harthy reach the top of Everest, her niece Johka Al Harthy won the Man Booker prize for her book Celestial Bodies.

“I was really happy when I heard the news because I knew she worked really hard for it. Johka really deserves it. When I came back it was so nice to see everyone’s support, it was the week for Al Harthy women,” she said.

Before climbing Everest, Al Harthy had a normal life, happy with her family and her job in the public sector, however she always felt that something was missing.

“When I went to climb Kilimanjaro with some students for work, I felt a